Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots, and sauté about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt and pepper, and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup. Process soup through a food mill (discarding only the dry pulp that remains) or run soup carefully through a blender. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with garnish of basil leaves and/or croutons.

Nutrition information per each of 8 servings:

Calories 166 Fat 11 g Sodium 756 mg Saturated fat 4 g

Carbohydrates 16 g Calcium 55 mg

Protein 5 g Cholesterol 17 mg Dietary fiber 4 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 vegetable, 2 fat.

Bruléed Apple Crêpes

Serves 8.

Note: From Kim Ode.

• 1 c. flour

• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 c. milk

• 1/2 c. water

•2 tbsp. butter, melted, plus extra for cooking

• Oil

• 4 apples

• 1/4 c. brown sugar, plus more for brulée

• 1 tsp. cinnamon

• 1 to 2 tbsp. apple or hazelnut liqueur (Applejack or Calvados, or Frangelico), plus more for brulée, optional

• Whipped cream, for garnish

Directions

To make crêpes: In a blender, combine flour, granulated sugar, salt, eggs, milk, 1/2 cup water and melted butter; process until smooth. Pour into a bowl and let sit for about 30 minutes, or refrigerate if you don't intend to make the crepes right away.

Heat a lightly oiled crêpes pan or small frying pan over medium high heat. Melt a dab of butter in the pan and wipe with a paper towel. (You shouldn't need to do this between each crepe, but as needed.)

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, quickly tilting the pan with a circular motion so the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook for about a minute, or until the underside begins to develop light brown spots, then flip and continue cooking for about another minute. Turn out onto a clean towel. Keep crêpes covered until you've made them all. There should be enough batter for 8 crêpes.

To make filling: Peel, core and slice apples into thin wedges. Toss in a bowl with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan and sauté apples until just beginning to soften. If desired, add liqueur. Bring to a boil to let alcohol dissipate, but don't cook apples to mush.

For the brulee: Place the crêpes in a shallow ovenproof pan, brush with water or liqueur, and sprinkle with a uniform coating of brown sugar. Place under broiler until the sugar begins to melt and caramelize. Watch carefully. Serve with whipped cream.

Note: We've run this recipe before, but since it was significant addition to this all-vegetable meal, we'll run it again (and it's so worth trying). There will be vinaigrette left over. Adapted from Alex Roberts of Brasa in Minneapolis, and in "Come One, Come All/Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus," by Lee Svitak Dean.

• 1 tbsp. coarsely chopped shallots or onion

• 1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 serrano chile, seeded and coarsely chopped, if desired

• 1/3 c. grapeseed oil or other neutral oil

• 1/3 c. sour cream, at room temperature

• 1/2 head green cabbage (or a 10-oz. bag of finely shredded cabbage)

• 1/4 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro leaves

• 1/4 c. chopped fresh mint leaves

• Salt and pepper

• Sesame seeds, toasted (see below)

Directions

To make vinaigrette: Mix shallots with lime juice, sugar and salt. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. In a blender, purée shallot mixture with chile, oil and sour cream until smooth. Set aside.

To make slaw: Use a mandoline or grater and shred cabbage as finely as possible. In a bowl, toss cabbage with parsley, cilantro and mint. Add about 1/2 cup vinaigrette to taste and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more vinaigrette, if desired. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

To toast sesame seeds: Heat them in a dry saucepan over low heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally as they lightly brown and become fragrant.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack set in top third. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan with a round of parchment paper (you could also use a springform pan with this to have it come out of the pan easily). Place melted butter in a large bowl. Using a mandoline or cutting by hand, slice the potatoes 1/8-inch thick; add to bowl with butter. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. In prepared pan, arrange some of the potatoes around edge of pan, overlapping the slices.

Fill center of pan with more overlapping slices. Sprinkle with half the leek and half the cheese; season with salt and pepper. Repeat with another layer of potatoes and remaining leek and cheese; season again with salt and pepper. Top with remaining potatoes. Using a spatula, press galette down firmly.

Bake until potatoes are tender, 70 to 80 minutes, pressing down firmly twice with a spatula during cooking. Run knife around edge of pan. Carefully invert galette onto a plate, remove parchment and reinvert onto serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Note: The beets are cooked in a slow cooker for this recipe, but they could also be cooked in an oven. Trim the stems to 1 inch and put in a baking pan with 1/2 cup water. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 75 minutes, depending on size. Beets are done when easily pierced with a skewer. Adapted from the Food Network Kitchens.

• 8 medium beets (see Note)

•Extra-virgin olive oil

• Coarse salt

• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 c. walnuts

• 4 c. mixed greens

• 1/4 c. dried cranberries

• 3 oz. soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

To prepare beets: Clean them well and slice off each end. Place each beet atop a small piece of aluminum foil and coat in olive oil and coarse salt. Cover completely with the aluminum foil. Put all the individually wrapped beets into a slow cooker and let them cook on high for 4 to 5 hours (or longer on low). Carefully remove them and unwrap. The skins will fall off easily. When slightly cooled, cut into slices or chunks.

To make vinaigrette: Whisk together vinegar and 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; season to taste with salt and black pepper.

To toast walnuts: Heat them in a dry saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes or more, stirring occasionally until they become fragrant.

Sure, holiday baking traditions are great. But isn't it time to try a new sweet treat this year? The Holiday Cookie Finder has every winning recipe from our annual baking contest from the past 14 years.

It's tempting to drop everything and roam Minnesota to catch all the crimsons and golds at this time of year. But who has time for that? We've found your leaf-peeping match. Just follow our flow chart.